Prehistoric Predators

Prehistoric Predators is a 2007 National Geographic Channel program based on different predators that lived in the Cenozoic era, including Smilodon and Megalodon. The series investigated how such beasts hunted and fought other creatures, and what drove them to extinction.

Episodes[]

The series investigated how such beasts hunted and fought other creatures, and what drove them to extinction. The summaries below describe the main CGI presentations of their respected animals.

Saber Tooth[]

Smilodon fatalis is shown as an apex predator. It is depicted defeating dire wolves, living in prides and killing Bison antiquus, and baby mammoths.

Wolf[]

The savage dire wolf was the largest dog on the planet at the time. It is shown hunting down Bison antiquus and Mexican horses in large packs.

Bear[]

Arctodus simus, the giant short-faced bear, was one of the largest mammalian carnivores ever to walk the Earth. The bear is shown defeating Smilodon fatalis and Megalonyx, trying to take down Mexican horses, scaring off dire wolves, and even coming into contact with early humans.

Monster Shark[]

The huge, powerful shark C. megalodon is shown subsisting on a diet of whales.

Terror Bird[]

The huge terror birds of South and North America, Kelenken and Titanis, are both shown as apex predators. Kelenken is shown to eat Homalodotherium, glyptodonts, and rodents, and Titanis is shown coming into competition with additional predators Smilodon gracilis and Canis edwardii, and is also shown to eat horses.

Hell Pig[]

Archaeotherium was the largest and most powerful beast of the badlands until the bear dogs arrived and is depicted evolving into the even larger Daeodon (or Dinohyus) in order to survive against the new threat.

Razor Jaws[]

The only animal who would attack an Archaeotherium was Hyaenodon, with its powerful razor jaws, until bear dogs arrived on the continent, driving both to extinction.

Featured Animals[]

Inaccuracies and Speculative Information[]

Smilodon (specifically Smilodon fatalis) is described as a pack-hunting predator related to modern day cats like Tigers and Lions. While the idea of pack-hunting Saber-toothed cats is still speculative and in debate to this day, Smilodon was not closely related to any species of modern-day cat. A similar mistake was done with the Dire Wolf, which wasn't actually closely related to the Grey Wolf, and is now agreed to have convergently evolved from a separate genus to resemble the Grey Wolf instead.
The documentary states that Smilodon and Dire Wolves went extinct at the same time, and that Arctodus was the last to go extinct, indicating it survived after the other two predators. In reality, Arctodus went extinct first (around 12,000 years ago) whereas Smilodon went extinct around 10,000 years ago, and the Dire Wolf lasting up to 9,500 years ago.
Arctodus is stated to be a hypercarnivore that used brute strength and size to take down prey. Both of these statements are now considered inaccurate: Arctodus is now believed to be an omnivore like most other modern bears, and despite its large size, its limbs would've been too slender to be used in physical strength. In "Giant Bear", however, Arctodus is then proposed to be primarily a scavenger by Paul Matheus, which is also unlikely given carnivores hunt as well as scavenge.
The documentary states that modern Grey Wolves don't take care for their own pack members like Dire Wolves may have, which is completely wrong as Grey Wolves are highly sociable and have close bonds with their packmates.
Homalodotherium and Kelenken didn't live in the same time period.
Despite the title being "Killer Pig", Archaeotherium and Daeodon are not part of the Suidae family of pigs, but more so related to hippos and whales.